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RECALL: Mylan EpiPen and EpiPen Jr

The United States has joined the list of countries covered by a voluntary recall of EpiPen auto-injectors for anaphylactic shock on account of a defective part that may result in the device failing to inject a potentially life-saving dose of epinephrine, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today.

Mylan, the company that markets the device, announced earlier this month that it was recalling one lot of roughly 80,000 EpiPens in Australia, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. It reported two instances of the device failing to deliver its dose. The patients in question, however, were treated successfully with backup, functioning EpiPens.

Pressing the EpiPen into a person’s thigh — the prescribed area for administration — causes a needle to penetrate skin and inject epinephrine into muscle. The defective part may require a person to use increased force to activate the needle, or it may prevent the EpiPen from working at all, according to Mylan.

In the United States, the recall applies to 13 lots of both EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. auto-injectors distributed between December 17, 2015, and July 1, 2016. Patients can receive another EpiPen or an authorized generic version at their pharmacy, Mylan said. In the meantime, they should continue to carry and use their current EpiPen until they acquire a replacement.